I hope parallel ports won't become obsolete

  • Thread starter Thread starter mormave
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mormave

I have important files stored on various 100 meg zip disks, and I have
some five year old parallel port zip drives that I still used on my
(obviously) old pc's. I plan to buy a new pc or two (maybe a desktop
and notebook) next year...i still don't need a new one yet. I'm just
wondering, do pc's still even come with parallel ports? (i don't even
know why they would anymore, except for people like me). What can I do
if pc's don't come with PPs?...any kind of "adaptor" i can use...to USB
or something like that?
 
I have important files stored on various 100 meg zip disks, and
I have some five year old parallel port zip drives that I still
used on my (obviously) old pc's. I plan to buy a new pc or two
(maybe a desktop and notebook) next year...i still don't need a
new one yet. I'm just wondering, do pc's still even come with
parallel ports? (i don't even know why they would anymore,
except for people like me). What can I do if pc's don't come
with PPs?...any kind of "adaptor" i can use...to USB or
something like that?
Click to expand...

Parallel ports are dying out gradually, as are other 'legacy' ports
- e.g. serial and PS/2. Many laptop PC mfr's have already ditched
legacy ports. Current printers - previously the main use for
parallel ports - often now use only USB.

I think you are proposing the wrong approach. Rather than trying to
keep obsolescent technologies (parallel ports, Zip disks) alive
beyond their use-by date you should consider moving forward to a
current technology. Transferring the data from Zip media to CD or
DVD would be the obvious choice today. At some point in the future
you'd need to consider moving the data again to the archival media
of preference at that time.
 
mormave said:
I have important files stored on various 100 meg zip disks,
Click to expand...

Time to move them to CD or DVD.
and I have some five year old parallel port zip drives that I still used
on my (obviously) old pc's. I plan to buy a new pc or two (maybe
a desktop and notebook) next year...i still don't need a new one yet.
I'm just wondering, do pc's still even come with parallel ports?
Click to expand...

Yes, just brought up a new system last week and it does.
(i don't even know why they would anymore, except for people like me).
Indeed.

What can I do if pc's don't come with PPs?...
Click to expand...

Stop using zip disks, they're way past their useby date now.
any kind of "adaptor" i can use...to USB or something like that?
Click to expand...

There certainly are some USB to parallel port adapters.

Dunno how well zip disks work on them tho.

I'd bin the zip disks myself, way past their useby date now.

Even USB key devices leave them for dead.
 
Yes, obviously one should move to the latest technology in many cases
where that's possible. The whole point of my post is that I cannot.
You probably should have asked "Is there some way you can....move the
files to CD's.....?". Answer is no...I have TWO very old PC's right
now...and they have only one PP, one or 2 serials, and that's it.
Well, technically, i guess i could go out and try to buy an external CD
r/w unit (parallel port type) to use with my old pc, and transfer the
files from my PP zip drive to a cd.....no, that wouldn't even work,
unless i got lots more adaptors for my old pc's (and i probably could
never even find an external PP cd r/w unit to buy!!). So, any new pc
I buy is going to have to have PP's, or else i'm going to have to find
some kind of adaptor for the new pc to be able to use the PP zip drive
 
Naaah. Install a LAN card in one of your old PCs and network it to
a newer PC with CD/DVD writing. Copy the files across then burn
away...
 
Previously mormave said:
Yes, obviously one should move to the latest technology in many cases
where that's possible. The whole point of my post is that I cannot.
You probably should have asked "Is there some way you can....move the
files to CD's.....?". Answer is no...I have TWO very old PC's right
now...and they have only one PP, one or 2 serials, and that's it.
Click to expand...

And what do you plan to do when your ZIP drive dies as it is bound to?

The PP will be available for a long time, but you might have to get
it on a PCI (or the like) card from a supplier of industrial PC
components. It still is being used to interface things in automation
and it is easy enough to build. At the moment enough mainboards have
an integrated PP and you can get PP cards relatively easy. But as
I said, I don't think that is your real risk here.

Arno
 
mormave said:
Yes, obviously one should move to the latest technology in many cases
where that's possible. The whole point of my post is that I cannot.
You probably should have asked "Is there some way you can....move the
files to CD's.....?". Answer is no...I have TWO very old PC's right
now...and they have only one PP, one or 2 serials, and that's it.
Well, technically, i guess i could go out and try to buy an external CD
r/w unit (parallel port type) to use with my old pc, and transfer the
files from my PP zip drive to a cd.....no, that wouldn't even work,
unless i got lots more adaptors for my old pc's (and i probably could
never even find an external PP cd r/w unit to buy!!). So, any new pc
I buy is going to have to have PP's, or else i'm going to have to find
some kind of adaptor for the new pc to be able to use the PP zip drive
on the new pc's.
Click to expand...

IDE Zip drives are going for 5 bucks and shipping on ebay. Just stick one
in your new machine and copy the disks.
 
mormave said:
Yes, obviously one should move to the latest technology in many cases
where that's possible. The whole point of my post is that I cannot.
Click to expand...

It seems that mobos based on Intel 915 or NViia NForce 4 chipsets don't
have serial or parallel ports, and I've even seen Socket A mobos where
the serial or parallel port wasn't brought out in back but available
only through internal header pins.
 
I have important files stored on various 100 meg zip disks, and I have
some five year old parallel port zip drives that I still used on my
(obviously) old pc's. I plan to buy a new pc or two (maybe a desktop
and notebook) next year...i still don't need a new one yet. I'm just
wondering, do pc's still even come with parallel ports? (i don't even
know why they would anymore, except for people like me).
Click to expand...

The new PCs and new mobo are still being shipped with parallel port on
it but it may become obsolete because no one's making parallel port
device anymore these day. Printers, scanners, external drives, etc
are all using USB or Firewire.
What can I do
if pc's don't come with PPs?...any kind of "adaptor" i can use...to USB
or something like that?
Click to expand...

ZIP drive is available with USB hookup and you could pick one up
really cheap. Forget USB to parallel adapter, they almost never work
with any parallel port devices other than printers.

If you don't want to pay (IIRC) $70 for new USB ZIP drive, you can
still pick up a parallel port PCI card to add to your future PC. I've
seen them for around $10 new and probably less on web stores and eBay.
 
mormave said:
Yes, obviously one should move to the latest technology in many cases
where that's possible. The whole point of my post is that I cannot.
You probably should have asked "Is there some way you can....move the
files to CD's.....?". Answer is no...I have TWO very old PC's right
now...and they have only one PP, one or 2 serials, and that's it.
Click to expand...

There's this /really/ old technology called ethernet, even old 386 PCs
had it, new PCs stilll have it, and its even backwards compatible!

Free your data from crappy old media, put it on the network ;)
 
It seems that mobos based on Intel 915 or NViia NForce 4 chipsets don't
have serial or parallel ports, and I've even seen Socket A mobos where
the serial or parallel port wasn't brought out in back but available
only through internal header pins.
Click to expand...


I have an MSI K8N Neo4 Model:MS-7125 motherboard that's based on the
NForce 4 chipset that has 1 com port and a parallel port onboard.

Those ports are totally useless to me these days but there still
available on most new motherboards at least for a couple of years.
 
No, the pc i need to get the files off of is a 5-6 year old
notebook....can't install cards.
 
I have 2 external PP drives, luckily, so there won't be a problem with
"breaking"....and, of course, once I get the files transferred
(somehow) to my "new pc" next year (which may be a notebook), I will
abandon the use of zip drives. But installing a pci card on a new
notebook...will that be possible?
 
Buying a usb zip drive is another possibility i hadn't thought of,
though i'm not sure it will be backwardly compatible with 100mg disks,
though probably they are.
 
Can i use it on my current 5 year old notebook?

Mike said:
There's this /really/ old technology called ethernet, even old 386 PCs
had it, new PCs stilll have it, and its even backwards compatible!

Free your data from crappy old media, put it on the network ;)
Click to expand...
 
Previously mormave said:
I have 2 external PP drives, luckily, so there won't be a problem with
"breaking"....and, of course, once I get the files transferred
(somehow) to my "new pc" next year (which may be a notebook), I will
abandon the use of zip drives. But installing a pci card on a new
notebook...will that be possible?
Click to expand...

No, not on a notebook. Sorry. But good to hear you are not relying on a
single drive.

Arno
 
The Intel and nVidia chipsets never implemented the FDC and com/lpt ports.
It is up to the mainboard vendor to add whatever they/customers want on LPC.
I have an MSI K8N Neo4 Model:MS-7125 motherboard that's based on the
NForce 4 chipset that has 1 com port and a parallel port onboard.

Those ports are totally useless to me these days but there still
available on most new motherboards at least for a couple of years.
Click to expand...

Even if they are not on the mainboard, you can add a SIGG PCI card.
 
mormave said:
I have 2 external PP drives, luckily, so there won't be a problem
with "breaking"....and, of course, once I get the files transferred
(somehow) to my "new pc" next year (which may be a notebook),
I will abandon the use of zip drives. But installing a pci card on
a new notebook...will that be possible?
Click to expand...

Nope, but you can get notebook cards instead.

It would normally be better to do it the other way, network
the new notebook to the old one and move the files between
them that way. Network cards for the old notebook should
be doable if it doesnt have a lan port built in.
 
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